Undelivered Package Fee Smishing Scam

This is a form of smishing — phishing conducted via SMS text message — that specifically impersonates couriers and postal services claiming a delivery attempt failed. The message asks the recipient to pay a small redelivery, storage, or handling fee to reschedule the delivery, and provides a link to do so.

The scam relies on how common failed delivery attempts genuinely are; almost everyone has experienced a missed delivery at some point, which makes the premise inherently believable regardless of whether the recipient is actually expecting a parcel. The messages are typically sent in bulk to large numbers of phone numbers with no targeting, relying on a percentage of recipients coincidentally having a parcel in transit or simply being cautious enough to act rather than risk losing a package.

The fee requested is deliberately small to reduce hesitation, but the payment page is built purely to capture full card details, and sometimes a one-time passcode, enabling much larger unauthorised transactions afterward.

A text message arrives claiming to be from a well-known courier or postal service, stating that a delivery attempt was unsuccessful — perhaps because no one was home, or an address or fee issue occurred. It includes a tracking-style reference number and a link to 'reschedule delivery' by paying a small outstanding charge.

The link leads to a page cloned to resemble the courier's official website, complete with logos and colour schemes. The victim enters their card number, expiry date, and security code to pay what appears to be a nominal fee. In more sophisticated versions, the page then claims additional verification is required and asks the victim to enter a one-time passcode just sent to their phone by their bank, which the scammer uses in real time to authorise a separate, larger transaction.

No parcel ever arrives, because none was actually being held. The captured card details are used immediately for fraudulent purchases or sold to other criminals, and the victim typically only realises what happened when reviewing their bank statement some days later.

The scam exploits the near-universal experience of a missed courier delivery, making the message plausible to almost anyone regardless of whether they are expecting a parcel. The small fee amount is calibrated specifically to avoid triggering the scrutiny that a larger sum would invite, while the urgency of 'reschedule now or the parcel will be returned' discourages the recipient from pausing to verify.

Because the message arrives on a mobile phone, recipients often act quickly in a moment of convenience, tapping a link and entering card details without the same caution they might apply on a desktop browser where a fake URL is easier to spot.

A person receives a text message stating that a courier attempted delivery of a package but could not complete it, and that a small redelivery or storage fee must be paid online to reschedule. The message contains a link and references a generic-sounding tracking number. Because the recipient has several parcels in transit at any given time, the claim feels plausible enough to act on without checking further. Tapping the link opens a page styled like a well-known courier's website, asking for a small payment along with full card details to release the parcel for redelivery. After paying, the recipient receives no further update, no parcel arrives, and unrecognised charges begin to appear on their card statement over the following days as the captured details are used or sold on.

We attempted to deliver your parcel today but were unable to. Pay [amount] to reschedule: [link]

Your package is on hold due to an unpaid redelivery fee. Resolve now to avoid return to sender: [link]

Delivery failed: address confirmation and small fee required to release your parcel.

Enter the verification code sent to your phone to complete your redelivery payment.

Do not click links in unsolicited delivery texts. Instead, check any parcel status directly through the courier or postal service's official app or website using tracking information from your own order confirmations. Genuine courier failed-delivery notices are typically also visible directly within the courier's own tracking system, not solely via a text link.

If you are unsure whether a message is genuine, contact the courier's official customer service line, found independently rather than from the text, and describe the message to confirm whether it is legitimate.